Requesting (and Receiving) the Raise You Deserve

This is a guest post from Alexandra Levit. Alexandra writes Water Cooler Wisdom, a career advice blog.

First things first — when is a good time to ask for a raise? Coming off a strong performance review in which your boss acknowledged your accomplishments is a good bet, because he will probably be expecting you to broach the subject of money. If you’ve just taken on a new role, or your management has raised the bar for your performance, it is perfectly legitimate to ask for an appointment to discuss “compensation commensurate with new responsibilities”.

Before you sit down with your manager, you’ll want to be prepared with a list of contributions that have enhanced the bottom line. As you’re putting together your case, be hard on yourself. Look at the situation from your company’s point of view. Have you honestly acquired such valuable skills, performed at such a high level, and exceeded expectations to such a degree that your company should shell out more money to keep you?

When scheduling the meeting, pick a time when your boss’s stress level and workload are as manageable as possible and tell her what you want to talk about so she’s prepared. An informal setting like lunch often works best because it allows you to relate to your manager on a personal level. Before you meet face-to-face, decide on a number that you’d be satisfied with, and think about how you’ll respond if you don’t get it.

Here are some tips for the conversation itself:

If you’re underpaid and you know it, refrain from complaining. Acting bitter or angry will only put your manager on the defensive.

Remain calm, positive, and professional.

Tell your boss how much you enjoy working at the company.

Talk about your performance in a factual manner, and provide concrete examples of how you add value to the organization.

When it comes time to pop the question, use the word “compensation” rather than “raise” or “money”.

In the event that your boss declines your raise, don’t close your ears to the rest of the discussion. She may be willing to offer you other perks instead, like extra vacation time, flexible hours or a nice dinner with your significant other on the company. These concessions may not be as valuable as cash, but they can come in handy for somebody struggling to afford the good life outside of work.

Raise discussions are never easy for either party, and if your boss is the passive-aggressive type, he may tell you what you want to hear simply to get you out of his office. Make sure that you follow up appropriately on any verbal promises he makes, and if possible, secure an effective date for your increase. The issue is not closed until you see the change on your paycheck!

Remember asking for a raise or increased “compensation” is a negotiation. so treat it as such. Never go into a negotiation empty handed and without options. Don’t be afraid to shoot for the stars if your performance merits it. You should always have an acceptable compromise ahead of time, though. I would keep telling my wife she should ask for more, because it was clearly obvious the company valued her more than she realized. Her company was very stingy, though, and would only give her a little raise when she asked after a performance review. However, in her final negotiation for increase, I told her she needed to be firmer in her position. At the end of the day, she finally got what I thought she should have thought she was worth. Her salary went from $30k to $80k in a year and a half.

another key point is, if you do not get a raise, promotion, or received a raise short of your expectation, you should get a clear explanation and quantifiable standards and benchmarks from your boss written in your review and expectations that would merit a raise, a higher raise, or a promotion. Bottom line, don’t be afraid to ask your boss what it will take to get the raise and promotion. Does this ensure you will get a raise in the end, no, but it will give you leverage in your negotiation that would be difficult for your boss to ignore. If the company develops a pattern of not meeting its promises, then be prepared to leave.

Hi Everyone, just wanted to thank you all for your great comments…so smart and thoughtful! It has been a blast guest-posting on J.D.’s awesome blog and if any of you have suggestions for another post that would gel well with my expertise, I’d certainly welcome them.

Good advice. I would add that you’ll want to get as realistic of an idea as possible for the level of compensation of your peers within your organization, as these are the people who you are going to be judged against the most.

Try to come up with how your “Productivity vs. compensation” ratio ranks against other coworkers. It’s hard because you rarely know much about how others are paid, but you can sometimes get an idea.

I would also caution against sites like salary.com and such. Unless you are in a major industry in the heart of your city, I’ve noticed that the figures are always way too high.

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